Making Weight Loss A Reality

The secret to effective weight loss is diet and exercise, as many active adults already know. A study of reality TV show participants provides an in-depth look at what it takes to lose a dramatic amount of weight over a relatively short period of time. The research paper was published online by the journal Obesity.

Before the weight loss challenge began, scientists determined levels of body fat, total energy expenditure and resting metabolic rate for 11 participants on the show. These measurements were repeated after 6 weeks and performed again 30 weeks later, which was at least 17 weeks after the transformation took place. Those who only dieted lost 65% of their weight from body fat. The remaining 35% was attributed to a loss of lean mass. Just exercising resulted in a reduction of body fat with no lean mass lost. Of course, combining these approaches produced the best of both outcomes.

True Strength Moment: Engaging in 20 minutes of intense exercise each day and reducing daily caloric consumption by 20% helped the stars of this reality TV show lose an average of 128 pounds with 82% of that weight loss coming from body fat. That's an impressive achievement for a little more than 3 months of work.